Goldstream Sports Newsletter

March Newsletter Volume 1

Oosik Classic Ski Race is Talkeetna's answer to town-based races in Fairbanks and Anchorage

After slogging through the ~25k for a second year in a row, in my mind the Oosik Classic Ski race's greatest tradition is not the late-season racing, but the salvation of free food and beer at the banquette that follows.

A race in its 8th year, and held at Talkeetna's Fish Lake for the 4th year in a row, the Oosik Classic offered a challenging and fun ski race for ~50 or ~25 kilometers (distances were approximate, as none of the trail readings matched up - at the start of the race we were guaranteed each lap would be between 19k and 33k). With an interesting, woodsy trail that meanders over numerous lakes and through forests, the course took my mind off the fact that my girlfriend was at least 20 minutes ahead with no signs of slowing. Conditions favored those with the conditioning for lots of double-poling, and race-winner Raphael Wunderle finished ahead of second- and third-placed finishers by only seven seconds with a time of 2:05:13 (that's ten minutes faster than my time ... for the ~25k race!)

The race is a fun event, well organized by the Denali Nordic Association. For a recreational skier like myself, the best thing about the race is the registration fee grants you admission to the Oosik Banquette, held later that night, complete with fine food sponsored by Talkeetna's restaurants, and no less than 5 kegs of Oosik Amber beer sponsored by Midnight Sun Brewing Company. Whatever motivates you, Look for the Oosik on next year's race calendar.

Up next on the racing calendar is the venerable Sonot Khazoot, held on Saturday, March 22nd at Birch Hill.

Wax Recommendation for the Sonot Khazoot

To prep your skis before waxing:

Hot wipe with yellow wax to clean the ski. (To hot wipe your skis, spread a layer of warm yellow wax on the skis and iron it in. While the wax is still soft and liquidy, wipe it off with fiberlene lint-free paper.)
Hot wax with one layer of Toko Molybdenum Low Fluoro.

When waxing for the race:

at this time it looks like a mix of HF Red and HF Blue - with a concentration of 2/3 blue on tip, transitioning to a concentration of 2/3 red on tail.

With old, dirty snow, both the High fluoros and Molybdenum are key to keeping the skis clean and fast.

Check back to Goldstream Sports for changes to the wax recommendation and our kickwax recommendation closer to the date of the race. Wax Recommendation page here.

Trails Update

Lots of progress has been made in planning for building Ester Dome singletrack, a perfect place to mountainbike or run. Goldstream Sports will donate $10 for every bicycle we sell towards a trail construction fund. For complete coverage and to see a map of the proposed trail, visit goldstreamsports.com/advocacy/

Wednesday Workshops

Goldstream Sports is holding workshops every Wednesday Night at 6 p.m., beginning Wednesday, April 2nd. Basic topics will be covered, including tire changing and tube repair, drivetrain maintenance and the basics of adjusting shifting and braking. The Workshops are free, and will likely last an hour.

Great News for Salomon Pilot Binding owners!

We now have an ice-preventing upgrade for your Pilot Classic bindings: Ice Prevention Shims! This miracle bit of plastic fits under your binding and deflects all snow and ice buildup, ensuring that you are faster and better-looking than ever before! Stop by to find out more.

Goldstream Sports is hiring

Do you like bikes? Have you found yourself with nothing to do for the summer? Do you think about bikes all the time, like when you should be doing something else? You might be a good fit for the Goldstream Team. Watch this recruitment video and if you like what you see, come on in and talk to us!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZg3tktTCcY

Sale Ongoing through March:

If you missed Crazy Joel's Cabin Fever Reliever Sale, it's not too late to get some sweet deals on ski gear and bikes.

Save 10% on '06 and '07 bikes
20% off all bike clothing
25% off all skis, boots and poles
40% off all ski clothes, hats, gloves and baselayers

Calendar

Here are other fun activities for your consideration.

March 22	NSCF	Sonot Khaazoot 20k / 50k	10 am, Birch Hill
March 22	Goldstream Sports	Goldstream Sports Trainer Ride	8 am, Goldstream Sports
March 22	ASPA	Lee's CAbin Race	White Mountains
March 25-26	NSCF	Tour of the Golden Heart Spring Series	Birch Hill
March 28	NSCF	USSA Distance Nationals Skiathon
March 29	Goldstream Sports	Goldstream Sports Trainer Ride	8 am, Goldstream Sports
March 29	ASPA	Fun Race #7	Creamer's Field
March 30	NSCF	USSA Distance Nationals 30k - 50k	Birch HIll

Key: ASPA (Alaska Skijor and Pulk Association); NSCF (Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks)

Newsletter Archive: Read through old issues and reminisce, or search tech tips.

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